May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor
by PeytonAnne
Summary: In this fanfiction, I am Sagitarria Odinshoot, or Sage. I DO NOT own the Hunger Games. However, I do own the original characters such as Sagitarria Odinshoot, Phox Galloway, Leonis Boxwoll, Alto Jardine, Atlas, Katri, Griffin, Orchid, Talon, Laurel, Hammil, and Saffra.
1. Chapter 1

I wake up and get dressed. "Goodbye, Mom. I'm off to gather berries," I say as I slip on my jacket. Outside, I turn a corner and notice Phox in the fields gathering wheat. I am so distracted that I almost step on a patch of ripe strawberries. I quickly scoop them up and head to check my simplest snare. I am met by Phox. "Hey, Sage," he says, "Looks like a squirrel took your bait." He gestures over to my snare which is now enclosing a dead squirrel. "Yeah," I reply, "Do you want to go to the Town Square to trade it in?" We start walking toward the Town Square and eating the berries. That means I'll have to pluck more berries on the way home. We arrive in the Town Square and see Fannia Redpath on a huge stage. No one has seen her in District 11 since the Games were banished. I ask her what's happening as Phox trades the squirrel for a hot loaf of bread. She walks up to the microphone and announces "good" news. "Due to President Ashby Inchcape's decree, we will be bringing back the Hunger Games. The Reaping will be tomorrow and, as usual, may the odds be ever in your favor."


	2. Chapter 2

"My goodness, Sagitarria, you've had me worried sick!" my mom says. I look around to see my sister and brother, Saffra and Hammil in the living room. I plop down on the couch. "The Hunger Games are back. The reaping's tomorrow." Mom runs over to us and we all hug. Saffra is nineteen, so she isn't eligble, but Hammil and I are. The next day I'm in the square with Hammil. Saffra and Mom went off in the audience. The employees prick our fingers and we take our places. "Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games," says Fannia, "and may the odds be ever in your favor. As always, ladies first." I watch as she plucks a paper out of the giant bowl. My heart is beating a thousand miles an hour. Fannia straitens herself up. "Sagitarria Odinshoot." What? I only entered once. How could it be me? I walk up to the stage and watch tears stream down Mom's face. "And now the boys," says Fannia. She pauses. "How strange. Hammil Odinshoot." Mom and Saffra break out in tears as Hammil walks up to the stage. "You don't need to shake hands, you're siblings. Now, let's go to the Capitol-" "Wait!" shouts Phox. "I volunteer!" "Why," Fannia says. "Three games in a row?" Hammil looks at me than glances to Phox. "Phox, why?" I ask. "I'll explain later," he says. "Well that's it," Fannia says. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."


	3. Chapter 3

Fannia takes me to a room where we will later meet our loved ones. Phox and her leave, so I won't have time to talk to him until the train ride to the Capitol. How could this all be happening? Could it be a dream? No, this seems way to real to be a dream. I look out the window. My house is right down the street from here. I turn around and Mom, Saffra, and Hammil burst through the door and give me a huge hug. This puts me into tears. I've been keeping it together since the Reaping, but now I can finally let it out. I only have five minutes with my family, and then I won't see them ever again. I have to have time to talk to each of them. I will always cherish our last conversation. First, I talk to Saffra. "I can't believe my baby sister is going to die." Hammil starts crying. "Saffra," I say. "Keep them alive…for me." "I will," she says. I give her one last embrace. Now, I talk to Hammil. "Why did Phox volunteer?" is his first question. "I don't know," I say, "but I'll tell you when I get back. Okay?" "Okay," he says. "I brought you something." He presses something into my hand. When his hand slips away, I recognize it. It was a pendant Mom gave me when I was seven. It has a picture of Saffra, Hammil, Mom, and me in a circle. Hammil falls into my arms and I give him a huge hug. "Sagitarria," my mother says. "You have to stay happy, or at least pretend…for Hammil." I say. "Okay," Mom says. We hug. Everyone hugs. Peacekeepers break in and pull them away from me. "I love you," they yell. The door slams shut. _I love you, too…and I always will. _I open the door and someone I have met before, but have not become friends with is standing there. "Hi," I say. "I know it may be a huge bomb to drop on you right now," he says, "but I'm in love with you."


	4. Chapter 4

"What?" I say. I've seen this boy in the halls. He's never said more than one word to me. "When Fannia called your name I thought I would pass out," he says. "I feel embarrassed," I say, "but I don't know your name." "Leonis," he says. "My name's Leonis." "Oh yeah," I say. I remember he was the boy who picked on me in third grade. On the last day of school, he pushed me down at recess, so I tripped him. He fell down next to me, and we were both laughing. There was a brief second where I got lost in his brown eyes. Those same kind eyes are in front of me. "Win," he says. "I know you can so do it." "Okay," I say. Leonis steps forward and kisses me. He leaves me and I feel so alone. On the train ride to the Capitol, all I can think about is him. Phox comes out of his room. "What are you thinking about?" he asks. "Why did you volunteer for Hammil?" I reply. "I would rather die than have your favorite person die." He plops down next to me. "Well that's really sweet of you," I say. I look up at him and realize that I can't be thinking about Leonis. I've had a crush on Phox for as long as I can remember, and he just risked his life for me. Phox tilts his head and leans closer to me. He smells like wheat. I turn to him. Could this be the start of something? Does he like me? He starts to lean closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. Someone bursts through the door. "I'm your mentor, Alto," he says. "What are your strengths?" "Sage is really good at snares," Phox says. "Phox is really good at gathering," I shoot back. "LOVERS!" Alto yells. "What?" Phox and I say simultaneously. "You guys should be a couple, this is perfect!" he says. "I don't know," I say. "You could pull it off, just try!" he says. "It couldn't hurt," Phox says. "Okay," I say. We pull up to the Capitol. There are thousands of people cheering. "Look pretty," Alto says. Phox and I flash smiles. We turn around to see Alto grinning. "What?" I ask.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nothing," Alto says. "You're good at snares and gathering. I say you stick together and defend yourselves and each other." "Really," I say. "That's all the advice you've got?" "Hey," Alto says. "You can't blame me…I got amnesia." Fannia comes in and hands us a schedule. We have to go to be prettied right now. People wax my legs and arms, wash my hair, and pluck my eyebrows. Then, I meet with my stylist. "Hello, my beauty," he says. This makes me feel disgusted. He thinks I'm beautiful when I don't look like me. "I am Atlas. We simply _must _get to work." Atlas is about six feet tall with hair like Phox's in a jet black shade. He tells me that he has the perfect design. He dresses me like a doll and then slides me in front of a mirror. I am wearing a pink blouse made of silk, overalls with jewels on the front pockets, a sparkly silver headband, and ballet flats. Atlas brings Phox in and he stands next to me in front of the mirror. He is wearing a deep red t-shirt, overalls, and fancy sneakers. Atlas leads us out to the chariots. The career tributes are staring at us. The girl from District 10 is also staring at us, but in a kinder way. The chariots start going out. "Do you think we can pull off the whole 'couple' thing?" Phox asks. "I think we could if we tried," I reply, "but we would have to start right now." He wraps his arm around me and I hold his hand. When our chariot goes out, the audience starts cheering louder than anyone before us. Phox and I have buds in our ears so we can take directions from Alto. "Great job," he says, "but you have to get closer." Phox and I scoot closer together. "Kiss her on the cheek," Alto says to Phox. Phox reluctantly gives me a peck. The audience gives us a standing ovation. They are screaming and cheering. Phox and I flash smiles. President Inchcape gives a short speech and then all chariots ride off. Alto, Phox, and I go to our hotel. District 11 gets a penthouse. Alto heads to his room. "Where did we leave off on the train," Phox says. This is more of a statement than a question. He tilts his head like he did on the train. Closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. He softly kisses me…nothing like Leonis. "I know it's a huge bomb to drop on you now," he says, "but I'm in love with you." Leonis used those exact same words. How am I still thinking of him? Do I love him?


	6. Chapter 6

It's time for group training. Alto told us not to show off our strengths until our individual evaluations. So Phox and I sit at the fire building station. Anyone could master this, but I pretend to have a hard time. "Excuse me," a little voice says behind us. We turn around to find the little girl from District 10. "I can't see," she says. I move to the side and pat the empty space between Phox and I. She scoots forward. "Sorry," she says. "Don't be," I say. "I'm Sagitarria." "I'm Katri," she says shyly. Katri starts a fire immediately. This girl could be a good ally. She's about the same age as Hammil. We go through our individual evaluations. That night, we all sat around the TV and watched the results. The District 1 boy, Talon, got a ten. The District 1 girl, Laurel, got an eight. The District 2 boy, Griffin, got a seven. The District 2 girl, Orchid, got a five. I watch each district's results scroll across the screen. Katri's face pops up. She got an eleven. She was better than all the careers. Phox and I each got nine. The next day, we interview with Caesar Flickerman. On Friday, we ride a plane to the arena. A peacekeeper puts a microchip into each tribute's arm. Phox and I have to separate to go to our tubes. We give each other a huge embrace. "Sage," he says. I nod. "Stay with me." He leaves. "You can do it," Atlas says. "Good luck, my beauty." Atlas kisses my forehead. He's like a big brother to me. I slowly walk to my tube. The glass slides shut. I can't do this. I'll never see anyone again except the careers and their weapons. I bang against the glass as hard as I can. The platform starts moving up into an arena like a forest. The deep voice starts counting down. 25…24…23…22…21. I quickly look around and Phox rises up next to me. 17…16…15…14. I look to my left and see Katri looking at me with fear in her eyes. 9…8. Griffin is eyeing the knife bag. 7…6. Talon glares at me like he is going to kill me any second. 5…4. I look to Phox and he gestures behind him. 3…2…1.


	7. Chapter 7

The siren blares and I dart backwards. Phox comes over next to me. After running for what seems like hours, we find some raspberry bushes. We eat and eat and eat. I crawl into the bushes and I fall down a few feet. "Sage? Are you okay?" Phox says. "Yeah," I say. This is a hidden cave. "Come in here." Phox falls down in front of me. I just realized it is dark out. It must be about time for the cannons. I'm right. Ten cannons go off. That leaves fourteen tributes. "Let's get some sleep," I say. It's freezing in the arena. We both lie down. "Sage," Phox says. "What," I reply. He doesn't say anything. "What," I repeat. "Will you…ummm…will you go out with me?" he asks. "Of course," I say. He wraps his arm around me to keep warm. We fall asleep in the freezing cold. Soon, I will be dead.


	8. Chapter 8

I wake up to the rustling of the bushes. I am alone. I've been waiting for this moment since the Reaping. This is the moment I am going to die. I know that there's no point in fighting back, but I somehow find myself scooting backward as fast as I can. I see a hand clamped around a knife coming through the opening. I fall down a few feet. There are a lot of bricks in here. I am about to scream when a hand comes over my mouth. It smells of wheat. I turn to my left to see Phox and Katri. I wrap my arms around them. "Okay," Phox whispers. "I was thinking us three could be in an alliance." Katri and I nod in agreement. I hear what sounds like a conversation between the careers. "You said you saw them run this way," Griffin says. "I did," Talon replies. "Then where are they?" Laurel cuts in. "Are those bricks? Maybe the cave goes down deeper," Orchid says. "Please," Griffin says. "Leave the smart work to the men." I hear more rustling as they leave. "I may be twelve," Katri says, "but I want you to know I'm not weak." "I know," I say. We climb out of the small space and pick a ton of berries. We eat and eat and eat. Before we know it, it's nightfall. It's about time for the cannons. I am right again. Six cannons go off. There are only eight tributes left. I am guessing that the final tributes are Griffin, Talon, Laurel, Orchid, Katri, Phox, Me, and someone else. That means I'll be dying sooner than planned.


	9. Chapter 9

Phox and Katri shake me awake. The Careers are yelling for us. "We know you came this way," Laurel says. "Yeah," Griffin yells, "so come out. You have to one time or another." Phox, Katri, and I start having a silent conversation with facial expressions. _'Should we?' _Phox asks. _'We have to at one point or another,' _I reply. We look to Katri. _'Okay,' _her eyes say. We climb out of the cave. "I knew they were in there!" Orchid yells. "If you would have listened to me, they would be dead!" She gestured at us. "Shut up!" Griffin yells. He stabs her and a cannon goes off. Laurel takes out a bow and arrow and aims it at me. "Any last words, Sagitarria?" she asks. I stand as still as I can. She releases in what seems like slow motion. Someone jumps out in front of me. This must be the other tribute alive…and he just saved my life. I look down at his face. Who I see shocks me even more than him saving my life.


	10. Chapter 10

The boy from District 10, but he's from District 11. The tribute who jumped out in front of me is Leonis. "Leonis!" I yell. I crouch down next to him and Phox blocks me. "How?" I ask. "After the District 11 Reaping, I volunteered in District 10. To protect you." Phox has been protecting me. How could I not know he was here? "I love you," he says. Phox gives him a dirty look. I hug him and a cannon goes off. There are six tributes left. "Face it," Laurel says. "We can't kill them off." "You're right," Talon says, "but we can start with each other." Laurel quickly pulls out her bow and arrow and shoots Talon. Griffin throws his knife at her. Two cannons go off. Katri pushes Phox and I, who have been blocking her, aside. She pulls out a spear and runs forward. Griffin kicks her spear into the ground and puts her in a headlock. "Katri!" Phox and I yell. "That's right," Griffin says. "Ten is dead." He pulls out his knife and holds it over Katri's stomach. She yells for help. Griffin shoves the knife in her stomach and releases her. She picks up her spear and stabs Griffin. They both fall to the ground. Phox and I run forward as she pulls Griffin's knife out of herself. A parachute falls out of the sky. It's a first aid kit. Phox uses the wrap to wrap up Katri's stomach. I stroke her red hair. "Thank you," she says. Two cannons go off. All that's left is me and Phox. What has this come to?


	11. Chapter 11

"Go ahead," Phox says. "Kill me." "You know I can't," I say. We run into each other's embrace. He gently kisses me. A loud voice comes over the trees. "I am happy to present the victors of the 76th Hunger Games." Phox and I hug and I start crying tears of happiness. We run over and step on the platform I entered on. We are so close that we fit in the tube perfectly. Waiting for us are Alto, Atlas, and Fannia. "I knew you could do it, my beauty," Atlas says. I give him a huge hug. The next day we travel back to District 11. Phox walks in my house with me. "Sagitarria!" Hammil yells. He runs up to me and I hug him. Then, I hug Mom and Saffra. We sit down on the couch. Hammil tugs on my shirt. "Why did Phox volunteer?" Hammil asks. "It doesn't matter anymore, Hammil." And then, he walks in. Untouched, not how I last saw him. I want to say his name so bad. It is on the tip of my tongue, and then it comes out. "Leonis."

Thank you for reading! Coming soon is the sequel to "May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor". Please keep checking back to read "Down With the Capitol"!


End file.
